New plans for a metro line connecting Keelung and Taipei show a major increase in passenger capacity. That was the word from Premier Su Tseng-chang on Tuesday. He said the new line's construction should start in 2023 and begin operating in 2032.
The new Keelung MRT will stretch from Badu in Keelung to Nangang in Taipei and have 13 new MRT stations. He says that the new MRT line will allow Keelung residents to easily access Taiwan's high speed rail and Taipei's metro system at Nangang Station.
Plans for the Keelung MRT have been in the works for the past 30 years and have been modified many times. The original plan was for a light rail system that would have transported about 5,000 people per hour. The new MRT has triple the capacity of up to 15,000 people per hour.
The light rail budget was NT$8 billion (US$287 million), but the budget for the new metro plan has now increased to NT$42.5 billion (US$1.52 billion). Su says the central government will pay for 77% of the construction costs, about NT$32.5 billion (US$1.17 billion), and the rest will be covered by the Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung governments.